More Nintendo Switch details: 4GB of RAM, touchscreen, could support VR in the future

Nintendo hasn’t rushed to reveal the technical details of its upcoming Switch console. The lack of information saw the company’s shares fall 7 percent, as investors worried that the machine could turn out to be another Wii U-style flop. But some of the Switch’s rumored specs have been revealed over the last few days, and they could help ease concerns.

In the Switch’s preview trailer released earlier this month, there is no mention of the device’s touchscreen. With none of the actors in the video actually touching the display, could it be possible that it may not possess this ubiquitous feature? Thankfully, it seems this isn’t the case.

The Switch will reportedly use a 6.2-inch, 720p 10-point multitouch capacitive screen, according to Eurogamer. If accurate, it will be an upgrade from the 3DS and Wii U’s resistive, single-touch only screens.

While Nintendo has revealed that the Switch features a custom Nvidia Tegra chip, there have been few other details surrounding the platform’s specs. But according to a Tweet from long-term Nintendo blogger Emily Rogers, the Switch will have 4GB of RAM – double the amount found in the Wii U.

4GB may be half that of the PS4 and Xbox One, but Nintendo’s hybrid handheld device is a lot less demanding than the current generation of consoles, and it hasn’t been designed to challenge them in the graphics department. But the news has come as bit of a disappointment to some fans, who were hoping for 8GB.

More information has leaked regarding the Switch’s cartridges which will reportedly come in a ‘standard’ size of 16GB. There was also talk of the console’s arrival spelling the end for the 3DS, but according to Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, that won’t happen.

“Thanks to our software, the 3DS hardware is still growing. So that business still has momentum. And certainly rather than being cannibalized by the Switch, we think the 3DS can continue in its own form.” Kimishima told Bloomberg.

In the same interview, the Nintendo boss was asked if the Switch would have virtual reality capabilities. And although they seem unlikely to be present at launch, VR games could arrive in the future.

"If you asked as if this might be possible in the future, certainly we can't say no," he said. "In terms of how it can be used for gaming, it's something we must consider. It depends on the system specifications. I can't say that we have no interest in VR because VR offers new ways of playing, but that depends on what kind of software can be played.”

One person excited by the Switch's arrival is Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata. Speaking to French site Gameblog, he said: “I’m very interested in this machine! As a player, but also as a developer. The Nintendo Switch that you can transform into a controller, that you can put into a dock, that you can move around with, on which you can replace elements. It’s been a while that I’ve told myself that I would like to make games on a Nintendo machine, so if the Nintendo Switch could be that opportunity, I’ll be delighted!”